Monaco target Ben Arfa as their spending spree continues

MONACO continue to target Newcastle United winger Hatem Ben Arfa – despite having already spent more than £110m this summer.

The French club, who are bankrolled by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, are determined to make their mark on Ligue 1 following their promotion from the second tier last season.

They have already confirmed the £60m joint purchase of Porto pair Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez, and are set to announce the £51m arrival of Atletico Madrid striker Radomel Falcao before the end of the week.

However, their spending will not stop there, with sources in France claiming the Monaco hierarchy are confident of making “three or four more landmark signings” before the transfer window closes at the end of August.

If they get their way, one of those could be Ben Arfa, with the Newcastle winger featuring on a list of potential additions.

Yohan Cabaye has also been mentioned as a possible Monaco target in the last couple of weeks, but it is understood the acquisition of Moutinho has dampened any prospect of the Newcastle midfielder moving to the south of France.

Ben Arfa's situation is different as Monaco are keen to recruit another attacking midfielder, capable of playing in a wide position.

The 26-year-old fits that bill, although with his current contract not due to expire until the summer of 2015, Newcastle will fight tooth and nail to keep him in the North-East.

Having spent so much time attempting to rectify Ben Arfa's long-standing hamstring problems last season, Alan Pardew will be extremely reluctant to lose his side's most creative figure.